Monsters of Folk: the Traveling Wilburys of the 00's

Back in 2004, indie folk/rock troubadours M. Ward, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket caught lightning in a bottle when they shared a stage for the aptly-dubbed "Monsters of Folk" tour. The tour led to a series of collaborations. James, with his unworldly falsetto, provided backup vocals for Ward on Transistor Radio's "Fuel For Fire" and Post-War's "Magic Trick" and on Oberst's "At The Bottom of Everything"—the pinnacle of the Bright Eyes masterpiece I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. Ward and Oberst then sung together on the Traveling Wilbury's cover "Handle With Care" orchestrated by Jenny Lewis in 2006.

Now, after a five-year hiatus, the trio are reprising the Monsters of Folk name to release their self-titled debut album September 22nd. The band will be joined by multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis, who has produced records in the past for Oberst, Ward, and Ward's She & Him. The Monsters of Folk aren't quite the Traveling Wilburys—who at one point were comprised of Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne—but in terms of today's young class of singer/songwriters, they're pretty damn close.

Here's the track list:
1. Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.)
2. Say Please
3. Whole Lotta Losin’
4. Temazcal
5. The Right Place
6. Baby Boomer
7. Man Named Truth
8. Goodway
9. Ahead of the Curve
10. Slow Down Jo
11. Losin Yo Head
12. Magic Marker
13. Map Of The World
14. The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me
15. His Master’s Voice

Conor Oberst, Jim James & M. Ward – "Girl From The North Country" (live Bob Dylan cover)

M. Ward Ft. Jim James - "Magic Trick" (from Post-War)

Conor Oberst hangs loose with bigger sound

Conor Oberst, the Dylanesque poetry-spewing mind behind Bright Eyes, has gotten some flack for loosening his belt and handing over some vocal and writing duties on his recent Mystic Valley Band collection, Outer South. That talk is bollocks. The band is a rollicking mess of youth, charm, and frustration unleashed by a swell of riffing guitars and flourishes of organ. It's the same recipe paved by the Band when they backed Dylan. Oberst and his merry band of pranksters certainly have not peaked anywhere close to those near-untouchable legends, but their growing catalogue of songs and comfort with experimentation may one day take them somewhere close. Like a poor man's Traveling Wilbury's, Oberst and his band trade vocals along with styles that make the record much more dynamic than the last Bright Eyes outing Cassadaga and much bigger than the Mystic Valley Band debut. Of the non-Oberst songs, my favorite is the simplistic and fun power-pop offering of "Air Mattress." You can hear Oberst singing background vocals. And it sounds like he's having a riot.

Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band - "Air Mattress" (from Outer South)